Chapter 259 Yizhou
Vasudeva I seemed to be completely crazy. After tasting the sweetness of massacring cities and destroying countries, he threw all the Buddha worship and precepts out of his mind and began to frantically operate the state machinery.
The army was madly devouring all the unfortunate small countries in the south and the north. The atmosphere of the entire Kushan Empire suddenly changed. War always brings many changes. In this mighty sweep, the whole country actually developed a kind of iron-blooded heroism.
Afterwards , Vasudeva I directly ordered the entire country to enter a wartime state and mobilized Brahmins and Kshatriyas from all over the country to participate in the war. Vasudeva I, who experienced supreme power for the first time, directly chose to become a tyrant. At the same time, the empire's execution of his orders also improved to a considerable level. In terms of execution, tyrants who have never failed are always the strongest.
The continuous victories overwhelmed all the voices of dissatisfaction within the Kushan Empire. The nobles in the southern part of the Kushan Empire became cowardly when they saw that Vasudeva I had entered a state of madness. Even a few Brahmins who openly opposed him were sent to meet with Brahma, let alone these Kshatriya nobles.
Originally, the Kushans were divided into five levels: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, and untouchable slaves. As a result, Vasudeva I secretly sent several Brahmins to see Brahma. It was not that no one in the Kushan Empire saw through it, but that these smart people tacitly did not make this matter clear.
For these smart people, a unified and powerful Kushan Empire was good, much better than the previous fragmented state.
Even some Brahmin leaders acquiesced in Vasudeva I's actions. The Brahmins also gained many benefits from the war, which was the main reason why they tolerated Vasudeva I's wrongdoings.
Everyone longs for a hero. When everyone is watching, when a hero stands out, no matter whether this hero is good or bad, he will have enough followers.
As long as the qualities displayed by this person exceed the average qualities of historical heroes, he will become the savior of the moment. This is what is meant by heroes being made by the times.
The Kushan Empire found a way to be reborn from the ashes on the brink of division. Even though there was great dissatisfaction within the Empire, it was suppressed by those who still longed for the empire to take off.
It’s just like fighting monsters to level up. The natural enemies when you are weak will become just minor troubles when you are strong.
The Kushan Empire is now clinging to this last straw and trying to survive. In their view, as long as they have passed the growth period, it will be easy for them to return home with a great victory and deal with the domestic opposition.
In fact, this was a huge gamble, and Vasudeva I and the smart people who cared about the Kushan Empire bet everything they had on this table.
However, from their point of view, the Kushan Empire has begun to rise from the ashes with the courage shown by Vasudeva I, and this gamble can be said to be a sure win.
…
Let's go back to the time when Liu Bei was appointed as the governor of Yizhou. The news that Liu Bei was leading his army into Sichuan and Shu reached Hanzhong one step ahead, then spread to various counties in Yizhou, and finally gathered in Chengdu, triggering a fierce quarrel.
Letters were passed back and forth, and the governors of various places were arguing with each other. Liu Zhang, the governor of Yizhou, had already fled to Luoyang to serve as the Grand Herald, leaving behind a mess.
The honest faction headed by Leng Bao and Zhang Song believed that the three restorations of the Han Dynasty showed that the Mandate of Heaven was with the Han Dynasty, and that it was good for the world to be under the jurisdiction of the imperial court. They advocated welcoming Liu Bei to Sichuan.
Moreover, Liu Bei has always been known for his benevolence. Since he was sent by the court, he must be stronger than Liu Zhang. When the time comes, if everyone works together with Liu Bei, how can he not be stronger than he is now?
On the other side were the various governors who were eager to establish their own regimes. Led by the aristocratic families, they advocated continuing to establish their own regimes and directly keeping Liu Bei out of Hanzhong. Anyway, with Jiange there, Liu Bei and his men could not break in.
Then, before Liu Bei's men arrived, Sichuan and Shu were already in chaos, and the backbones of the honest faction, Yan Yan and Zhang Ren, were not there.
The only one left who could be called a general was Leng Bao. In the end, the honest people were suppressed by the aristocratic families and could only stay in their own territory and wait for Liu Bei to enter Sichuan.
The same contradiction also existed in Hanzhong. Zhang Lu's younger brother Zhang Wei insisted on opposing Liu Bei's entry into Yizhou. The two of them were originally thrown out by Liu Yan in order to establish his own regime. Later, after Liu Yan was killed, Hanzhong had become a real separatist regime.
"Brother, now that we have gotten rid of that old man Liu Yan, it would be great if we could control Hanzhong. Welcoming Liu Bei into Yizhou would be like inviting a wolf into the house!"
Zhang Wei tried hard to change his elder brother Zhang Lu's decision. To be honest, it was actually him, Zhang Wei, who ruled Hanzhong. Zhang Lu was at most a mascot. However, Zhang Lu was a truly capable man and also his backer. If Zhang Lu planned to surrender, then he really had no good solution.
"Hanzhong is just a state, not even a prefecture. Why not give it to Liu Bei? Wouldn't it be great if you could go to Luoyang with me? As long as the Five Pecks of Rice Sect can prosper, everything will be worth it!"
Zhang Lu did not scold his brother too much, and his attitude remained as gentle as ever. He never cared about power. If he did not want to promote Taoism, he would not bother to be an official. Inheriting Taoism was his lifelong pursuit, and anything else was external.
“Brother!”
"Okay, don't say anything more, go get ready, and follow me to welcome Liu Xuande into Hanzhong!"
Zhang Lu waved his hand and sent Zhang Wei out, indicating that he didn't want to say anything more.
"Oh~" Zhang Wei sighed, turned around to look for their mother, but was turned down again. In the end, he could only sigh helplessly and accept the reality.
Family members know their own business. Zhang Lu, his mother Madam Lu, and his niece Zhang Qiying are all Taoists, and they are proficient in Taoist techniques. If they were not all Taoists, it would not be his turn to be in charge of Hanzhong.
After giving up, Zhang Wei did not do anything extreme. His whole family practiced Taoism, and he had more or less picked up the habit of going with the flow.
Besides, he didn't think Hanzhong could stop Liu Bei. All those who could fight were practicing Taoism under Zhang Lu, and the others didn't even have internal energy. It would be better for them to surrender directly and go to Luoyang to see the prosperity.
To be honest, Zhang Lu's subordinates are much stronger than those in Sichuan and Shu. They are Liu Yan's special target for separatism. Of course, they are very powerful. Basically, all of them are veterans from Yizhou pretending to be Zhang Lu's troops.
This would not only shut up the outside court, but also allow him to stay comfortably in Sichuan and Shu as a local emperor. Moreover, the veteran's family members are all in Sichuan, and there is a dangerous place like Jiange as a barrier, so there is no need to worry about Zhang Lu rebelling and his life being too comfortable.
It's a pity that he didn't expect the aristocratic family to suddenly turn against him, and he died unexpectedly. He had secretly prepared an imperial robe for himself, but right after he finished it and had no time to wear it, he was secretly killed by the aristocratic family.
